Why use a patent attorney?

If funds are not immediately available or the prospects of success for the invention are still rather remote, it is quite possible for an inventor to file his own application directly at the Patent Office, free of charge. We do not, however, recommend this course except as a last resort since there are numerous pitfalls, in particular the large number of deadlines to which a patent application is subject (missing any one of which could result in the loss of all patent protection) and the very real possibility that a description not prepared by a qualified draughtsman may eventually prove insufficient to support a valid and worthwhile claim.